Doha, Qatar: The International Media Office (IMO) of the State of Qatar released a statement regarding false accusations in The New York Times claiming that Qatar attempted to cultivate a relationship with US Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff through a lobbying program, years in advance of his appointment to public office, including his later role as Middle East envoy.
The International Media Office said these accusations were entirely false and so lacking in credibility that they can only be described as absurd.
The statement stressed that Qatari investment entities, both state and private, have maintained business relationships with Steve Witkoff for many years, long before President Trump was elected.
IMO stated that these accusations came from questionable sources and are intended to target Qatar and Mr. Witkoff as part of a coordinated effort to sow tension and division between Qatar and the US, while undermining efforts to mediate a ceasefire in Gaza.
It added that the accusations serve the interests of bad actors who oppose the work the two countries are doing to advance international peace and stability.
The International Media Office of the State of Qatar said that The New York Times chose to disregard key facts shared with them in order to manufacture a story - for example, that the hotel in question was not owned by Steve Witkoff or his companies at the time of purchase.
It affirmed that the State of Qatar always interacts with the US government at an institutional level, and that Qatari-US relations are built on decades of department-to-department cooperation across a range of shared interests, including diplomacy, security and economic partnership.
IMO said that Qatar's investment decisions are kept entirely separate from diplomacy, that strict governance ensures that one does not influence the other, that Qatar's investments in the US are based strictly on long-term economic and financial criteria, and that, in cases where business and diplomatic interests overlap, safeguards are introduced to prevent any conflict of interest.
